The suburb Longwood north of Orlando is a good area for above-ground swimming pools. Even though most of the homes are older, each year, I install a fair amount of above-ground pools there.
Installing an above-ground pool in Longwood usually has few issues. The earth is typically clean and dry, the ground is somewhat flat, and the yards are typically big enough to have a decent-sized pool installed.
8 THINGS TO KNOW WHEN INSTALLING AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN LONGWOOD, FLORIDA
1 Backyards are usually flat
Certain areas around Orlando can have some slight elevation, which can make some yards very sloped. And sloped yards require more digging and leveling.
Longwood is overall a fairly flat area, which means unless you’re near a lake or have a retention area in your yard, it will be easier to install a pool there.
2 It’s high and dry
North Orlando is generally higher ground, which means dry ground.
And since most of Central Florida is sand-based, rainwater drains very quickly down into the ground.
3 Longwood’s earth is sand based
Some materials in the ground can trap and hold moisture. Layers of rocky earth or clay can do this, which means when it rains, it can take a while for the water to drain deep down into the earth.
When the earth is sand-based, the rainwater moves very quickly down into the ground, leaving the top layers dry.
This is good when installing an above-ground pool as you need the ground to be dry during the install.
4 Semi-inground installation is usually OK
When digging down to install an above-ground pool partially in the ground, you can hit groundwater. When that happens, the party is over and you have to install the pool above the moisture line.
Longwood has high and dry earth, so a semi-inground install is usually a go.
5 There’s a potential for nutgrass
Some areas around Orlando have more nutgrass than others. Longwood has an average occurrence of nutgrass damage to pool liners.
It’s a good idea to put down a quality granular nutgrass killer before setting the liner in the pool.
6 May have overhead power lines
Since that year Orlando got hit by three (actually 4) major hurricanes, the power companies have been replacing overhead electric power with buried power.
Since Longwood has a lot of established homes and neighborhoods, many there still have power fed to their homes overhead.
Whether you get a permit or not, it’s a good idea to keep the pool the ten feet away required by code. If you have overhead power lines in your backyard, this may affect where you put your pool.
7 Can have big tree roots
Longwood has a lot of established homes. This means that there can be some really big trees in the backyards of some.
Big trees equal big roots, so if you are planning on putting a pool fifteen feet or closer to a big tree, then expect to run into big roots. Big roots will have to be cut out of the pool site.
Most of the time, I just use a cordless Sawzall with a good wood blade for this. I have often used a sharp axe and occasionally have to use a chainsaw.
8 There might be a septic tank and drain field in the way
Established areas north of Orlando like Maitland, Winter Springs, Casselberry, along with Longwood can have a lot of homes with their own septic systems.
Some septic systems are in front yards and some are in back yards, so you never know for sure if a septic tank or its drain field is going to be in the way of where you want your above-ground pool.
9 Yards in Longwood are usually big enough
As Orlando got bigger and more populated, the home lots got smaller. Longwood is more established than other areas, so the yards are bigger. This is good for installing an above-ground pool.
POOL STORES IN LONGWOOD
Pinch A Penny
264 FL-434 W, Longwood, FL 32750
Leslie’s
3855 Wekiva Springs Rd, Longwood, FL 32779